(Guest post by Greg Forster)
Randi Weingarten explained this week that, contrary to the outrageous slander that the unions are against education reform, she’s actually in favor of having the federal government create rigorous national academic standards for public schools, and will remain in favor of it as long as the Democrats are in power. (I’m paraphrasing.)
She writes: “Should fate, as determined by a student’s Zip code, dictate how much algebra he or she is taught?”
So the AFT now endorses the principle that a child’s education should not be determined by Zip code? When did that happen?
And if a child’s Zip code shouldn’t determine how much algebra he or she is taught, why should that determination be made in Washington instead? Apparently the amount of algebra you learn should be determined not by your Zip code, but by your international dialing code.
At least with Zip codes, some families can exercise school choice by moving to a different neighborhood. Yes, it’s an unfair system, since not all families are equally mobile; apparently Weingarten thinks the fair thing to do is to take away the freedom now enjoyed by some parents, so that there will be an equality of unfreedom.
Here we see the real modus operandi of the Left – achieve equality by leveling downward.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
Randi has the football analogy all wrong. Its not about where the ball is placed it is about how the ball is played.
National standards would be like the NFL requiring all teams run ONLY the Pro Set Formation on first down, I-formation on the second down, the strong set on third down and the punt on 4th.
Each team’s offense would have 2 receivers, 1 Tight End, 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 FB, and the rest would play on the line.
All teams must play a 4-3 defense.
No trick plays, no stunts, blitzes, play action passes, onside kicks, motions, or 4th down conversions.
Everything must be uniform. All teams have the same playbook, no innovation or variation is allowed.
No one ever would have developed the West Coast Offense, no one would have developed a spread offense, no one would have tried a 3-4, 4-4, 5-2, nickel or dime defense to keep the offense guessing.
Football would be – boring. We’d never know what worked best and every team would play to the lowest common denominator.